Mayhem erupts throughout city after appeal to end violence

November 15, 2009

After community activists pleaded earlier for a day without killing, violence erupted throughout the city after the stroke of midnight on Saturday, leaving at least two people dead and several injured.

At about 12:06 a.m., Frederick Evans, 20, of the 6800 block of South Ada Street was found shot to death in an alley in the 500 block of West 58th Street. He was shot in his back and chest.

Witnesses told police Evans was involved in a dice game shortly before midnight, according to Chicago Police News Affairs Officer JoAnn Taylor. Evans was seen being chased by a unknown person who opened fire, Taylor said. He ran to an alley to take cover before collapsing.

A handgun was recovered from the scene, Taylor said.

Minutes after Evans' shooting, a 32-year-old man was shot at about 12:13 a.m. on Chicago's West Side in the Lawndale neighborhood. Police said he was shot after he watched a fight in the 3900 block of West Ogden Avenue. He suffered wounds to his leg and thigh, police said.

At about 2 a.m., Howard Hodges, of Park Forest, was shot and struck by a car near a lounge in the Chatham neighborhood. Hodges, 34, was pronounced dead on the scene.

Another man also was shot in front of the lounge located in the 8300 block of South Vincennes Avenue, but he was taken to St. Bernard Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police said he suffered a wound to his shoulder.

Later, two other people were stabbed in the Englewood neighborhood at about 3:15 a.m. in the 6600 block of South Carpenter Street, and three people were shot in the Brighton Park neighborhood at about 5 a.m. near 47th Street and Homan Avenue, police said.

Several community activist groups and teens met throughout the city Saturday to discuss ways to end the violence in Chicago neighborhoods.

One of those behind the efforts to decrease violence, Tio Hardiman, the director of CeaseFire Illinois, said that the meetings Saturday, including a highly-publicized one involving youth in the Roseland community traveling downtown, need to be followed through with more day-to-day contact with young people who are most likely to act violently.

If there is a spike in violence in any community, one of the most important things to do is to reach out to any young people involved and try to prevent retaliation for shootings or other violence, Hardiman said. Right now, however, CeaseFire and other groups are stretched thin, and need more funding to be able to work with a larger proportion of young people, Hardiman said.

"You need guys out on those hot corners, talking to the young men," who are most likely to be involved in shootings, Hardiman said.